1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a therapeutic seat cushion.
2. Description of Related Art Including Information Disclosed Under 37 CFR 1.97 and 37 CFR 1.98
Everyone needs to sit at least a few times during the day: to eat, drive, take a plane trip, work, go to movies or to concerts and many other daily activities. People who have pain when sitting find it difficult to do these common everyday activities. People have pain due to different reasons, to different degrees and in different places. Various therapeutic seat cushions are known. Examples of these follow.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,824,174 issued Apr. 25, 1989, by Dunn, Sr., for Seating Device discloses a seating device for alleviating backache, in particular coccygeal pain, in which the seating device has a T-shaped opening therein to alleviate stress on the coccyx (along the cross bar of the T-shaped opening) and to allow freer circulation to the genital area of a seated person (along the longitudinal stem of the T-shaped opening).
U.S. Pat. No. 5,163,737 issued Nov. 17, 1992, by Navach et al. for Cushion discloses a cushion, in particular for a sedentary person, with a contoured base with a layer of resilient cushion foam thereover; wherein the cushion is shaped to accommodate the buttocks of a seated person in a clasped position and has recesses therein under each of the ischia, trochanters and sciatic nerves of the seated person to limit local pressure in those anatomical areas.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,286,089 issued Feb. 15, 1994, by Goldman for Seat Cushion for Alleviation of Perineal and Rectal Discomfort discloses a unitary foam seat cushion statically configured and arranged to eliminate contact pressure on the rectal, perineal and genital regions of a person seated on the seat cushion without subjecting the perineal region to substantial stress or tension. The cushion includes a base and two upwardly projecting elongate support members positioned in parallel spaced apart relationship for support of the ischia and thighs, and located between the support members is a channel to form a void that prevents exertion of contact pressure on the rectal, perineal and genital areas.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,829,081 issued Nov. 3, 1998, by Pearce for Cushion Device Formed from Separate Reshapable Cells discloses a cushion that includes a base and numerous bladders locatable on the base; wherein each bladder contains a quantity of filler insufficient to completely fill the bladder and each bladder has a loose or elastomeric skin to accommodate its conforming to the shape of an object, such as a human, to be supported by the cushion; further wherein the top surface of each bladder acts as a hammock when supporting a cushioned object, and the bladders interact with each other to accommodate protuberances and crevices of the cushioned object.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,855,415 issued Jan. 5, 1999, by Lilley, Jr., for Portable Seat Cushion Having Pressure-Reducing Properties discloses a portable seat cushion designed for seating comfort of a user, but not necessarily therapeutic comfort, and using low-to-medium density cellular elastomer foams with pressure-reducing properties to maximize user comfort; wherein the foam layers are mechanically laminated to produce a statically configured, multi-layer composite.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,202,234 issued Mar. 20, 2001, by Henderson for Therapeutic Pillow discloses a therapeutic pillow for supporting the tail bone of a user and for cradling the buttocks of the user to assure that support for the tail bone of the user is held in place; wherein the pillow comprises a base, a support and a pair of bolsters; further wherein the pair of bolsters extend axially along the base, straddle the support, cradle the buttocks of the user and assure that the support is held in place under the tail bone of the user by minimizing lateral movement of the user.
In the field of therapeutic seat cushions, there is a lack of variety, adjustability and affordability. Therefore, it is difficult to find a cushion that meets a user's particular needs. Currently, there are a number of therapeutic seat cushions on the market for people who have pain when sitting. Some of these therapeutic seat cushions attempt to provide relief through one standard design, but these solutions fail to meet the needs of users, because these therapeutic seat cushions are a one-size-fits-all design. Other solutions attempt to provide different materials or shapes, but lack the ability to allow the user to adjust the therapeutic seat cushion to a position that meets the user's needs. Additionally, prior art solutions provide a general use therapeutic seat cushion that is both cumbersome and difficult to transport, making travel a hassle.